Seven Things to Know About Being a Freshmen

This Tuesday I started my first year at high school. Though it’s only been mere days, I’ve already figured out a lot. Here are seven things you should know when you come into high school for the first time.

7. Yes, everyone really does hate freshmen. As sad as it is to admit, it’s true: The upperclassmen really do resent us. Trying to find your way around the halls, all you hear is older students muttering about how “annoying these little twerps are” or “god, they just get worse every year don’t they?” Sadly, they is nothing we can do about this, just stay out of their way and they’ll likely stay out of yours.

8. Surprisingly, middle school actually is worse! I don’t know about everybody, but almost all the people I’ve talked to, younger and older, all say the same thing; Middle school really exaggerates everything. Since I got to the middle school in fifth grade, they always said the same thing over and over again “They aren’t gonna be this easy on you in high school!” Which is such a lie, by the way. The teachers are more chill and the grading system is already much better here, as far as I can tell. This is a good thing, don’t wait for it to get worse, embrace it while it lasts.

6. You will more likely than not get lost. And that’s okay! Normal, even! You are in a new school you haven’t been in before and probably have at least five different classrooms per day you have to be in. With 3-5 minute passing periods, that doesn’t leave much time to learn your way around the new location. If you can, try getting to school early or staying late and going to each of your classrooms and memorizing which halls to take. And if you can’t do that, remember…

5. Teachers and upperclassmen are not to be feared! Yes, some of them can be intimidating or rude in one way or another, but a good amount of them aren’t that way! Remember, they were in your place once and they probably remember how scary it can be. If your school doesn’t have a buddy system in which an upperclassmen is assigned to a group of freshmen, then take matters into your own hands and find the right person, you’ll be set for the whole year.

4. You should not be worried to ask for help. Seriously. I cannot stress this enough. Trust me, I know how scary it is to ask teachers or other people for help(with schoolwork or other things), but it will only get worse if you let it be. Then, as you let it go on longer and longer, it gets worse and worse and you’ll wish you had talked to someone sooner and your teacher will wish the same thing. If the idea of going to someone for help is too scary for you, ask a friend to go along with you! Do it during work time of your class so you aren’t alone if you can’t ask anyone to come with you. Trust me, you’ll be glad you didn’t put off asking for help.

3. You will make mistakes. And there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s it. It’s a cliche, and it sucks, but it’s life. You are bound to make mistakes time and time again, and I know I sound like a teacher, but they know what they’re talking about. The sooner you accept that mistakes will be made(and that’s a good thing!) the easier it will be for you to grow as a student and a person.

2. While it’s nice to befriend juniors and/or seniors, do not pursue a relationship. Though some people view it as “scandalous” or “hot” it isn’t. There is nothing good about someone who is about to become an adult, dating someone who is just barely a teen. When you look to upperclassmen for guidance, friendships can occur, and that’s great! Wonderful even, because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and making new friends. But once a friendship turns into a relationship with that type of age gap, it likely equals trouble. Not only are they almost an adult, but you aren’t just in different places physically, but also mentally. It isn’t healthy and it won’t end well. Save yourself the mental health, and just stick to dating around your grade and maybe a year younger or older

1. Don’t underestimate yourself. It is hard to change what you’ve known for the past four years. Going to a new building, and sometimes a new city or just territory in general, is scary as hell to say the least. New people, teachers, hallways, and classrooms is a hard thing to do. And you’ve also been constantly told that high school is gonna be hard. And yeah, it is. But there are ways to help you out. Take notes, make up missing assignments, ask your teachers when you get lost during a lesson, just make sure you have what you need to succeed. You’re the only person who knows what you need and how you handle different situations, so you do what you need to do to succeed in school and life.

Small Disclaimer: These things do not always go with everyone’s freshmen experience, it’s different for everybody. This is just what I’ve noticed as a freshmen, and what other people I’ve talked to have found to be true as well.

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